Hemp-cleaning machine



Aug 3l, E92@ Lgg G1. A. LWRY HEM? CLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 30, 19243 Sheets-Sheet l NV-ENTOR BY l - A RNEY;

Aug 3E, H926., n y )Lg G. A. LOWRY HEM? CLEANING MACHINE Filed sept. 3o.1924 3 sheets-sheet 2' ATTORNEYS Au@ 3l, E926., LSQSQS G. A. Lowm HEM?CLEANING MACHINE Filed Sept. 30, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 A'ITORNEY vioPatented 3.1, 1926.

UNIT-ED STATES v1,598,095 PATENT orrlca.

GEORGA. LOWRY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGEN'MENTS,A TOFABRICORD, INC., TRUSTEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

KEMP-CLEANING MACHINE.

Application led September 30, 1924. Serial'No. 740,706.

This inventionrelates to machines for separating the fibrous skin fromthe woody Y core of fibrous plant stalks, of which hemp is an example,and has for its object the 6 production of a machine which willexpeditiously separate the pithy core from the fibrous material withpractically, no loss of fibre and with the fibre left in long ribbonlikestreamers. I further aim to produce a fibre strippingmachine which issimple in construction but very efficient in operation and which isinexpensive to operate and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects will appear hereinafter and I obtain these objects by theconstruction illustrated in the attached drawings, in whichif Fig. 1 isa front elevation of a machine which embodies the principles of myinvention. l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with a portion of the flywheelvomitted for clearness.

. Fig. 3 is a plan view; and

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig..3.

The same numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of myfibre 30 vseparating machine, which is herein described as an exampleand not in a limitingA fsense.

I have discovered that by constantly and quickly disrupting the woody orpithy core of fibrous plants, such as hemp or the like, and thusremoving small sections while the loosened fibre is pulled back orstripped, I can separate the fibre from the core without loss of fibre,and the fibre ,itself is retained in long ribbon-like bands for furthertreatment preparatory to spinning or weaving as bolts 15.

u The machine proper comprises two side frame pieces or plates 16 and17, of which plate. These plates ore suitably spaced apart, as by a rod18 and a frame plate 19, and support-the operating mechanism. Thismechanism comprises a plant stem or stalk the cylinder, as shown, atsubstantially right angles to the` surface, or they may be re.

garded iasribs having, in any event,com paratively sharp striking edges23 for striking the ends of the plant stalk as it is fed 4forward overthe feed board 25` which isv adjustably held by bolts 27 passing throughslots 26. The feed surface-of-plate 25 lies substantially in thestriking plane of blades 22 at their point of 4greatest efficiency. Aguide plate 28 is pivotally supported at 29 and serves, by its weightand' other means, to hold the stalks 24 in proper positionfor thedisrupter 20 to loosen the fibre and break the core or woody part of theplant stalk into short lengths, as is more fully explained below and asis disclosed and claimed in my copending application for the method ofcleaning hemp and other fibrous plants, filed of even date herewith.

Immediately beneath the disrupter 20 I place the fibre receiving andstripping mechanism. In a referred form this mechanism consists ci) astar-roller 30, and

"a smooth surfaced roller 31, co-acting to grasp the bre 24 and to pulland strip it from the plant stalk as it is freed therefrom by 4thedisrupter. These rollers are properly supported, in the frame plates, on

caring journals@ 32 and 33 respectively. The star-roller is driven by asuitable agency, as a chain 37, which operates over a sprocket wheel 34on the end of its journal 100 32. This roll is fixedly held while itscompanion .roll 31 is adjustably held by means of an adjustable bracket35 and a tension spring 36, to thus permit\the surfaces of the companionrolls to be properly spaced 105' and at all times under suitabletension.

The disrupter 2O is preferably operated by the same agency or chain 37which drives the stripping mechanism and this chain engages a sprocket38 on the disrupter journal 39. 110

n piece 16 may be regarded as the left side frame plate and 17 as'theright side frame sprocket 34 on the stripping mechanism, and theirrelative ratio is such as will supply `a comparatively high speed forthe disrupter in order to completely loosen and break the ends of thefibre stalks as they are fed forward by the pulling action of thestripping mechanism. The chain, or equivalent driving device, is drivenfrom any source of power which, in a simple construction here shown, isla drive sprocket 40 and is operated by a foot treadle 41, which issupplied with paddles 42 and 43 and is, connected to the drive sprocketby a suitable means, as a link 44 operating on a bell-crank 45. Aiiywheel 46 on shaft 39 provides means for supplying accumulated powerto provide for uniform! ity of operation, as is well understood.

While I have shown my machine to be operated by foot power, it isclearly evident that other sources of power may be employed` as may bedesired. I, further, do not desire to be understod as having limitedmyself to 4the specification construction of my fibre stripping andcleaning machine, herein described and shown, as various modificationsfall wholly within the spirit and scope of my invention will suggestthemselves to thoseA versedin the art.

What I claim, therefore, as new and useful, of my own invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine for separating the fibres from fibrous plant stalks, thecombination of breaking means for imparting blows to the end of saidplant stalks, a table for guiding said stalks unbroken onto the breakingmeans,. and means for grasping a fibrous material of said stalks topullforward the plant stalks into ,breaking position and removing the fibrefrom the core without permitting said fibre to come in contact with thebreaking means.

2. In a machine for separating the fibres from fibrous plant stalks, thecombination of a cylinder member, a feed plate for guiding said plantstalks towards said member whereby the plant stalks are brought unbrokenin contact' with the cylinder, and means for `stripping the fibre fromsaid stalk to remove ,said fibre without being brought into contact withthe cylinder member.'

3. In a machine for seperatingthe fibre deflect the libre out of thereach of the.y

cylinder.

4. Ina machine for separating the fibres from fibrous plant stalks, thecombination of' a disrupter having striking edges to loosen the fibrousskin from itscore and break the core, and means for advancing theplantstalk as the core is broken and the skin is loosened' wherebytheloosened skin is peeled from the stalk in advance of the breakingaction. b

5. In a machine for freeing the fibrous material from the woodypar'ts ofplants, a cylinder having blade edges projecting from the surfacethereof, a feed plate opposite said blade edges, meansfor adjusting saidplate, a star-roll, and a smooth surfaced roll cooperating to grasp andpull on the fibrous material, thereby stripping the fibre from the woodycore to move the core towards the cylinder for th\blades to act thereon.

6. vIn a machine of the class described, the combination of a cylindermember, blades on said cylinder, a plate inclined in an upward directiontoward the cylinder blades, means for adjusting said plate, a guidemember cooperating with said plate, and a pair of cooperating rollsbeneath said cylinder member for pulling on the fibre.

7. In a machine for freeing the fibrous material from the woody core ofplants, a cylinder having blade edges projecting from the surfacethereof for breaking said woody core, a feed plate extending towardssaid cylinderfrom a ldirection opposite said blade edges, a fibrestripping mechanism spaced from said feed plate and said cylinder forremoving the fibre from the plant. stalks and deiecting it out of reachofthe cylinder bladeedges whereby the vfibre isremoved from its corewithout being subjected to the action of the cylinder blades. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 18th day ofSeptember,

GEORGE A. LOWRY.

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